Truck.



No. 881,008. PATENTED MAR. 3, 1908. S. P. KNUT.

TRUCK.

APPLIOATION FILED SEPT. 4, 1907.

4 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

wi/tmaooeo No. 881,008. PATEN'TED MAR. 3, 1908. S. P. KNUT.

TRUCK.

APPLIOATION FILED SEPT. 4, 1907.

. 4 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

r 62g). M Z1 I avwemtoz PATENTED MAR 3, 1908.

S. P. KN UT.

TRUCK.

APPLIOATION FILED SEPT. 4, 1907.

4 SHEETS-SHEET 3..

svwenfoz witnesses PATENTED MAR. 3, 1908.

S. V. KNUT.

ZRUOK.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT. 4, 1907.

4 SHEETS-SHEET 4.

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SARGEANT PRENTIss KNUT, OF WASHINGTON, DISTRICT OFCOLUMBIA.

Specifications of Letters Patent.

TRUCK.

Patented March a, 1908.

Application filed September 4, 1907. Serial No. 391,283.

To all whom it may concern: 8

Be it known that I, SARGEANT PRENTISS KNUT, citizen of the UnitedStates, residing at 1818 Corcoran street northwest, Washington, Districtof Columbia, have invented certain new and useful Im rovements inTrucks; and I do hereby dec are the following to be a full, clear, andexact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilledin the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

My invention relates to vehicles and particularly to a vehicle arrangedto travel on a railway track or water while carrying an automobile orother motor vehicle, the vehicle being driven by the motor of thevehicle.

The object of my invention is the tovision of means whereby a railwaytrac or navigable Waters may be availed of by motorists for a certainportion of the trip without interfering in any way with the usefulnessof the motor vehicle in its usual ca pacity at both ends of the railwayor Water tri l dnder modern conditions an increasingly large number ofpersons engaged in business in large cities live in the suburbs andoften at a distance of many miles. Many persons" use automobiles ormotor cars as a means 0 transportation between their homes and the city,but such method of transportation is subject to the limitations of speedregula tions and the inconvenience of the dust necessarily attendantupon any consider able speed on an ordinary road. As a solution of theproblem, I propose the'maintenance by the motorist livmg near a rail'road, of a truck of appropriate size according to the automobile used,which truck shall be of light construction and easy running, providedwith wheels suited to travel upon an ordinary railway track, havingsuitable screens to act as a wind brake, and a flat platform surface toreceive the motor car, and provided also with means for secur ing thecar firmly in place thereon, with means for alternatively gearing thecar motor I with the wheels of the car and the wheels of the truck.

The motorist leaving home in the morning Would proceed to the nearestpoint on the railroad where his truck would be found restwheels to thecar W eels, by skids to the ground and proceed to his p a ing on asiding. He would run his car under its own power by suitable skids on tothe truck platform, secure it firmly in place, transfer the transmissiongear from the Wheels of his car to the Wheels of the truck and thenunder his own power proceed to his destination, where he would run thetruck on to another siding, again transfer the application of ower fromthe truck run off the truck cc of business, leavin the truck on thesiding until required on t e return trip.

The general idea of the invention may be carried out by means ofvariable details,

subject to modification within the field of the skilled mechanic asrequired by the circumstances of each case, but in the accompanyingdrawing I have shown a referred embodiment of the invention wit certainmodifications, which invention is hereinafter more fully described andparticularly pointed out in the accompanying claims.

' In these drawings: Figure 1 is a side elevation, with portions brokenaway and partly in section, of a truck mounted on a trac with the motorcar in position; Fig. 2 is a top plan view below the car body; Fig. 3 isan end view with certain portions removed;

Fig. 4 is a View, similar to Fig. 1, of a modification; Fig. 5 is afragmentary view of a further modification; Figs. 6 and 7 are details ofpillow blocks employed for supporting the car; and Fig. 8 is afragmentar view of a modification; Fig. 9 is a view similar to Fig. 1

but of a further modification; and Figs. 10,

1-1 and 12 are a top plan, side elevation and transverse section of theinvention embodied in a marine vehicle.

Referring to the drawings more in detail the truck comprises a platform1 mounte upon wheels 2, arranged to run u on the rails 3 of an ordinarrailway tra'c The axle 4 of one of said w eels is provided with atoothed gear or sprocket wheel 5. Onthe two sides of the truck an apron6 extends downwardly from the platform of the truck to a point near theround serving as a screen, and at the two en s this apron slopesdownwardly and beyond the truck platform at 7 turn-buckles 25 secured tothe the ends, and extendin upwardly are side walls 8 with inclined n sQhinged at 10 to the four corners and meetin when closed at the centerline of the true these' gates 9 providing, when open, for the ent Y andexit of the motor car, and when close actin asdo the ends 7 to cut andbreak the wind at hi hspeeds.

pen the platform of the truck arearranged outer and inner'guard rails 11and 12, the

outer rails resting snugly against the wheels upon the truck (platformwith its wheels just Inside the guar rails 11, the front and rear of thecar is lifted slightly by any suitable means such as a crow-bar or thelike, and the p' ow blocks 15 slip ed-in place as shown in Flg. 1. Oneform of lock 1s shown in detail in Fig. 6 and. consists of two arts, oneportion 16 constituting a support or the *car and provided for thatpurpose with a notch.

17 having its walls slig'htly inclined as shown. Another portion 18 ofthe block, preferably formed as a flange inte rally with the pillowblock portion, is curved .so as to conform in its .upper art 19substantiall the car w eel to form a choc therefor. A flange 20 servestoreceive a bolt 21 entering the platform of the truck longltudinalshifting of the block. As the car axle is allowedto drop into the notch17 firmly against the chock at 19 so as to hold the wheel and axleimmovably in lace. The same applies to each of the four w eels. Thefriction of the block base against the latform of the truck togetherwith the be t 21- prevent any longitu inal movement, while the breadthof the block base corresponds snugly to the distance betweenthe innerand outer guard rails 11 and-12 and thus precludes lateral shifting. Asa further recaution, cross bars 22 may be secure in place on the outerside of each chock and wedges 23 dropped into place between the two, soas to insure a close fit.

Furthermore guy chains 24 provided with axles at 26, serve the purposeof reventing lateral or longitudinal shifting, 27 likewise secured atone end to the axles at 26 and at the other end to the guard rails orfloor at 28 prevent any tilting or raising of the car at a sharp curveor by a severe jolt.

While we have shown these several devices one-supplementing the other torevent dis placement of-fthe car relative to t e platform, allwould notnecessarily be used tion and some might be omitted, as for instance,where the track was straight and.

and outer guard rail 'wheel 5. At the. end of the to'an arc of andpreventing.

it tends to draw the tire of the wheel 13,

w ile emergency chainsin conjunc-.

level the chocks alone would be sufficient without the cross-bars,wedges, or chains.

Where the-power is transmitted from the motor to the car wheels by meansof a sprocket chain 29 and sprocket wheel 30, i such chain would bedisconnected or thrown out of operation in any well known and. a

proved manner and another chain 31 broug t into use gearing thecarmotor..with the sprocket wheel 5 on the truck axle, such 0 ainpassing through a slot 32 in the truck" and platform.

The ates 9 havin ist wou dtake his p ate the same in the been closed,the motorace in. the car and operusual manner, the motor driving thewheels intermediary of the chain 31 and the gear a rail journe operationwill be reversed, the pillow b ocks being removed, together with such ofthe other several safe-guards as had been employed, and the motor againgeared to the wheels of the car instead of those of the truck.

' It will be noticed from Fig. 2 that the platform of the truck issymmetricall' 2 of 'the'truck through the a the arran ed so that it willrun equally as welin eit er direction, the motor car always facing thedi-' rection of travel. ney the motor car occupies a position facing theopposite end of the car, duplicate gear wheels 5 beingprovided on thetruck axles and duplicate slots 32 in the platform for alternative use.The truck may be e with air brakes of any approved shown schematicallyat-33 operated by a lever 34 occupying'a position at the side of the cartrolling the pipe 35. A pneumatic alarm Whistle or horn 36 within easyreach may," like the brake cylinders,'be supplied .with

Thus on the'return jourw1th1n easy reachof the motorist and con uippedcompressed air in a manner now used on street railwa sand the like.

In Fig. 4 have shown a modified power transmission in which a shaft 37,attached to the truck platform by hangers 38, carries a sprocket 39 andis permanently connected by a chain 40 with the sprocket 5 of the truck.

In this case the chain 29 is used to drive both the sprockets 30- and 39shaft 37being so ositioned onthe truck that its s'procket39 sha 1 be thesame distance from the motor shaft as the sprocket 30, making the chain29 interchangeable.

In Fig.9, I have shown a further modificas tion wherein the car wheelsare not elevated upon pillow blocks above the latform of the truck,butrest thereon, latera shifting being prevented by locating the guardrails 12 closer together than in the other construcalternatively, the

tion so that the wheels 13 fit snugly between said rails, whilelongitudinal movement is prevented by the adjustable guy chains 24, theemergency chains 27 also being employed.

Instead of using the form of pillow block. shown in Fig. 6, a modifiedform might be used in which the chock portion is omitted and the base ofthe block extended'laterally as shown in Fig. 7. In this figure I havealso illustrated optional means for preventing tilting of the car to beused instead ofthe e'mer ency chains 27. In this case the pillow b lock41 is provided with a broad base 42 and with a notch 43 having verticalwalls. This notch is of sufficient depth to receive the axle 44 of thecar, and a cl1p 45 spanning the notch: above the axle revents itslifting. This form of pillow blocl could readily be substituted for thatshown in Fig. 1 without material change as to the other means employedfor preventing relative shifting of the car and truck.

In Fig. 5 I have shown a fragmentary view of a-further form of powertransmission in which, the power is not shifted from the car to thetruck, but is transmitted through the car axle to the truck. In thiscase, the notch 43 of the pillow block serves as a bearing for the axleof the car, the wheels rotating freely clear of the platform and thechain 46 transmittin the movement directly to the truck sproc et 5. Thisconstruction has the advantage that the ordinary car s rocket chain isnot at any time disconnecte viously, the notch 44 of the pillow blockmay be provided with such well'known anti-friction bearings and dustguards as may be deemed desirable.

In Fi 8 is shown a further modification in which the power beingtransmitted directl by means of bevel gear or the like to the s aft 47within the tubular axle 48, such power is in turn transmitted to thetruck wheels by the chain 46 en a ing a sprocket 49 carried by the innerhui-face of the car wheel, the stationary tubular axle 48 resting withits extremity in the notch 43 of the pillow block. As a further or otional means of appl ing brakin action to t e car, a hand power rake maybe used, as shown in Fig. 9, the brake shoes being pressed against thetruck wheels by toggle 50 operated by a crank lever 51 having oneextremity formed as a socket 52 adapted to receive a bar 53 extendingWithin easy reach of the motorist in the car. Such bar, being readilyremovable, may be used as a crow-bar or lever in placing the car, and tomeet emergencies. The invention may also be embodied, as shown in Figs.10, 11 and 12, in a marine vehicle such as a boat 54 driven by means ofa ropeller 55 upon a shaft 56 driven by the c ain 57 from the drive axleof the car. In this case, the car will be maintained upon the boat inoperative relation to the shaft driven by its motor, in one of the waysdescribed in reference to a railway truck.

what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent ofthe UnitedStates, is

1. The combination, with a motor car having tires, of a vehicle arrangedto receive said car andprovided with pro elling means, and meansindependent of t e motor car tires to gear the motor to the propellingmeans.

2. The combination, with a motor car, of a vehicle arranged to receivesaid car and provided with propelling means, and means. to gear themotor to the propelling means and to the car wheels alternatlvely.

3. The combination, with a motor car, of a vehicle arranged to receivesaid carandprovided with propelling means, means to gear the motor tothe propelling means and to the car wheels alternatively, and means toprevent relative movement of the car on the vehicle.

4. The combination, with a motor car, of a vehicle arranged to receivesaid car'and provided with pro elling means, means to gear the motor tot e propelling means and tothe car wheels alternatively, and chainssecured to the vehicle and to the car to prevent relative longitudinalmovement of the same.

5. The combination, with a railway track, and a motor car having tires,of a truck arranged to receive said motor carand provided with wheels torun on said track, and means independent of the motor car tires to gearthe motor to the wheels of the truck.

6. The combination, with a railway track, and a motor'car, of a truckarranged to receive said motor car and provided withwheels to run onsaid track, and means to gear the motor alternatively to the wheels ofthe car and truck.

7. The combination, with a railway track,

and a motor car, of a truck arranged to receive said motor car andprovided with wheels to run on said track, means to gear the motor tothe wheels of the truck, and means to prevent relative movement of thecar and truck.

8. The combination, with a railway track, and a motor .car, of a truckarranged to receive said motor car and provided with wheels to run onsaid track, means to gear the motor alternatively to the wheels of thecar and the truck, and means to prevent relative movement of the car andtruck.

9. The combination, with a railway track, anda motor car, of a truckarranged to receive said motor car and provided with wheels to run onsaid track, means to gear the motor to the wheels of the truck, andmeans independent of its wheels to sustain the weight of the car on thetruck.

10. The combination, with a railway track, and a motor car, of a truckarranged to receive said motor car and provided with Having thus fullydescribed my invention, [wheels to run on said track, means to gear themotor alternatively to thewheels of the I the motor to the wheels of thetruck, chains 65 secured to the truck and to the car to prevent relativemovement of the same, and

car and truck, and means independent of itswheels to sustain the weight0 the truck.

- 11. -The combination, with a railway track, and a motor car, of atruck arranged to receive said motor car and provided with wheelsto runon said track, means to gear the motor alternatively to the wheels ofthe car and truck, and means to prevent longitudinal movement of the caron the truck.

12. The combination, with a railway track,--and a motor car, of a truckarranged to receivesaid motor car and provided with wheels to run onsaid track, means to gear the motor alternatively to the wheels of thecar and truck, and means to prevent lateral movement of the car on thetruck.

13. The combination, with a railway track, and amotor car, of a truckarranged to receive said motor car and provided with wheels to run onsaid track, means togear the motor alternatively to the wheels. of thecar and truck, and guard rails secured to the truck platform and bearinglaterally against the car wheels to prevent lateral I movement of thecar on the truck.

14. The combination, with a railway track, and a motor car, of-a truckarranged to receive said motor car and provided with wheels torun onsaid track, means togear the'motor alternatively to the wheels of thecar and truck, and checks arranged in line.

with andbearin a ainst the car wheels to prevent longitu ina movementofthe Ear on the truck. Y

15. The combination, with a railway track, and a motor car, of a truckarranged to receive said motor car and provided with wheels to run onsaid track, means to gear.

the motor to the wheels of the truck, and pillow blocks arranged beneaththe car axle tosustain its weight independent of the wheels.

1 6.-The combination, with a railway track, and a motor car, of a truckarranged to receive said motor car and. provided with wheels to run onsaid track, means to gear the motor alternatively to the'wheels of thecar and truck, and pillow blocks arranged "beneath the car axle tosustain its weight independent of the wheels.

17. The combination, with a railway track, and a motor car, of a truckarranged the car on turn-buckles in said chains providing for theirad'ustment. I

19. T e combination, with a railway track, and a motor car, of a truckarranged to receive said motor car and provided with wheels to run onsaid track, means to gear the motor alternatively to the wheels of the.

carv and truck, chains secured to the truck and to the car to preventrelative movement of the same, and turn-buckles insaid chains providingfor their' adjustment.

20. The combination, with a railway to receive said motor car andprovided with wheels to run on said track, means to gear the motoralternatively to the wheels of the car and truck, pillow blocks providedwith.

slots to receive the car axle and support the car with its wheels oiithe truck platform, said pillow blocks provided with a lateral flangeextending into the plane of the car wheel to form a chock, the slotshaving inclined walls to press the wheel againstthe flange. Y 21. Thecombination, with a railway track, and a motor car, of a truck arrangedto receive said car and provided with wheels to run on said track, meansfor'disconnecting the motor from the car wheels, and means forconnecting the motor with wheels.

- 22. The combination, with arailway track, and a motorcar, of a truckarranged to receive said car and provided with wheels to run on saidtrack, a sprocket chain to conthe truck motor of the car when inposition, and a sprocket chain arranged to gear the motor of the carwith the sprocket of the truck by way of the slot. a

. 24. The combination, with a railway track, and a motor car, of a truckarranged to receive said car and provided with wheels to run on saidtrack, the axles of the truck provided each with a sprocket wheel, theplatform of the .truck provided with slots in line between one df'thetruck sprockets and the motor of the car when facing. in eitherdirection, and a sproket chain arrangedto gear the motor with a trucksprocket by way of the slot.

. canoes 25. The combination, with a railway track, and a motor car, ofa truck arranged to receive said car and provided withwheels to run onsaid track, the truck provided with a downwardly depending apronsurrounding the wheels and inclined to a point at both ends to serve asa wind brake, and means to gear the motor of the car to the wheels ofthe car truck.

26. The combination, with a railway track, and a motor car, of a truckarranged to receive said car and provided with wheels to run on saidtrack, the truck provided with a downwardly depending apron surroundingthe wheels and inclined to a point at both ends to serve as a windbrake, and means to gear the motor of the car alternatively to thewheels of the car and the truck.

27. The combination, with a railway track, and a motor car, of a truckarranged to receive said car and provided with wheels to run on saidtrack, the truck provided'with a downwardly depending apron surroundingthe wheels and inclined to a point at both ends and also with upwardlyextending side walls and hinged end gates to serve as a wind brake whenrunning, the gates opening to receive or discharge the car from saidtruck, and means to gear the motor to the wheels of the truck.

28. The combination, with a railway track, and a motor car, of a truckarranged to I receive said car and provided with wheels to run on saidtrack, the truck provided with a downwardly depending apron surroundingthe wheels and inclined to a point at both ends and also with upwardlyextending side walls and hinged end gates to serve as a wind brake whenrunning, the gates opening to receive or discharge the car from saidtruck, and means to gear the motor alternatively to the wheels of thecar and truck.

29. The combination, with a railway track, and a motor car, of a truckarranged to receive said car and provided with wheels to run on saidtrack, the truck providedwith a downwardly depending .apron surroundingthe wheels and inclined to a point at both ends and also with upwardlyextending side walls and hinged end gates to serve as a wind brake whenrunning, the gates opening to rethe truck and the car,

ceive or discharge the car from said truck, pillow blocks provided withSlots to receive the car axle and support the car with its wheels freeof the truck platform, said pillow blocks provided with a flangeextending laterally into the plane of the car wheels to form a chockwith a curved face, the slots having inclined walls to press the wheel aainst the curved face of the chock, guard rai s secured to the truckplatform and bearing laterally against the pillow blocks, chains securedto turn-buckles in said chains to adjust the same, a sprocket wheel ineach of the truck axles, the truck platform provided with slots one inline between one of the sprockets and the car motor when facing ineither direction, means to disconnect the motor from the car wheel, anda sprocket chain arranged to gear the motor with a truck sprocket by wayof the slot in line between the two.

30. The combination, with a railway track, and a motor car, of a truckarranged to receive said motor car and provided with wheels to runonsaid track, means to gear the motor to the wheels of the truck, abrake acting on the truck wheels, and means operable from the car tocontrol the brake.

31. The combination, with a railway track, and a motor car, of a truckarranged to receive said motor car and provided with wheels to run onsaid track, means to gear the motor to the wheels of the truck, a brakeacting on the truck wheels, and a detachable bar operable from the car32. The combination, with a railway track, and a motor car, of a truckarranged to receive said motor car and provided with wheels to runonsaid track, means to gear the motor to the wheels of the truck, a brakeacting on the truck wheels, a lever controlling the brake and formed asa socket, and a bar arranged to enter the socket and extending withinreach of the car seat.

'33. The combination, with a railway track, and a motor car, of a truckarranged to receive said motor car and provided with to control thebrake.

wheels to run on said track, means to gear the motor to the wheels ofthe truck, a pneumatic alarm device supplied from the truck, and meansoperable from the car to control said alarm device.

34. The combination, with a railway track, and a motor car, of a truckarranged to receive said car and provided with wheels to run on saidtrack, the truck provided with a downwardly depending apron surroundingthe wheels and inclined to a point at both ends and also with upwardlyextending side walls and hinged end gates to serve as a wind brake whenrunning, the gates opening to receive or discharge the car from saidtruck, pillow blocks provided with slots to receive the car axle andsupport the car with its wheels free of the truckplatform, said pillowblocks provided with a flange extending laterally into the plane of thecar wheels to form a chock with a curved face, the slots having inclinedwalls to press the wheel against the curved face of the chock, guardrails secured to the truck platform and bearing laterally against thepillow blocks, chains secured to the truck and the car, turn-buckles insaid chains to adjust the same, a sprocket wheel in each of the truckaxles, the truck platform provided with slots one in line between one.of the sprockets and the car V 6 a a 881,008

motor when facing in either direction, means means operable from the carto control said- 10 to disconnect the motor from the car wheel, a' alarmdevice.

sprocket chain arranged to gear the motor In testimony whereof Ihereunto affix my with a truck 5 rocket by way of the slot in signaturein the presence of two witnesses. line between t e two, a brake actmg onthe car 'wheels, a lever controlling the'brake and SARGEAN T PRENTISS Nformed as a socket, a bar arranged to enter Witnesses: the socket tooperate the lever, a pneumatic LEWIS T. GREIST,

alarm device supplied from the truck, and EDWIN HILDEBRAND.

